Definition
Hybrid consensus is a blockchain consensus mechanism that deliberately combines two or more distinct consensus protocols into a single coordinated design. It partitions responsibilities such as block proposal, leader election, ordering, and finalization across different mechanisms, often mixing probabilistic and deterministic components. The objective is to jointly determine canonical chain state while balancing properties like security assumptions, liveness guarantees, latency, and adversarial tolerance across the combined scheme.
In Simple Terms
Hybrid consensus is a way for a blockchain to agree on its state by using more than one consensus method at the same time or in sequence. Different parts of the agreement process are handled by different mechanisms, which together decide which blocks are valid and permanently accepted by the network.
Context and Usage
The term hybrid consensus is commonly used in protocol design discussions, research papers, and technical documentation for blockchains that integrate multiple consensus layers. It often appears when describing architectures that separate block production from finality, or that overlay a fast finalization protocol on top of an existing chain-selection rule. Debates about security models, economic assumptions, and formal finality guarantees frequently reference hybrid consensus as a design pattern.